The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1887-05-26
There vas no response made to his

There was no response made to his
summons and he knocked louder still,
and then listening ~intently heard a
sound that chilled his flesh with horror.
There was a low growing and mum
bling, and shaking of a heavy body
much the same as a cat shakes a NOUS
and then a sharp crunching, as OF
bones.
Tom was paralyzed with dread. de
knew that the lions were never allowed
to leave their den, and such sounds
issuing from his uncle's room were
ominous.
Remembering a window that opened
on a shed to which he had often as u
lad gained access by climbing, he ran
thither, and in a few minutes was on
the shed, and stealing softly to the
window, peeped in.
"hedive was running swiftly AROUND,
nosing about the apartment, while ar
with Precious growls and muinble,
was tearing and shaking to and fro
at something that had on 9 had the
shape and form of life. Little pools OF
blood lay about the floor, and near
the window through which Tom was
peering were several tufts of short,
grizzled hair. Tom nearly fell off the
shed in a paroXyism of apprehension
when he remembered then not having
seen Eva. His hand incautiously struck
against the window pane. and bati
heasts looking up with a roar detected
him, and bounding against the glass
smashed out several panes in their
fury.
1t did not take Tom a minute to dash
for the pillar by which he had assembled
and to slip down with a lightning-like
rapidity. Then, with a pale face. ne
re-entered the house determined to
search every nook and corner until he
discovered Eva.
She was not in her room, and closing
her door softly, he wandered through
the great, lonely house, calling her
name loudly, and every moment hoping,
against hope to see her dainty form
come tripping forth and to hear from
her laughing lips that the CHASTITY trag-
edy enacted above was but the Hitting
dream of an idle brain. Only the faint
echoes, dimly afar, answered his loud
cries, and every now and then a louder
roar or a heavy spring as the lions paced
back and forth in the above.
AT last it seemed to him that he heard
a faint answer in response to n of his
loudest cries. 1t seemed to come from
the lions den hat lay beyond his uncle's
room, to which the only a cess was
through the apartment where the beasts
were holding their carni al.
Tom, quickly making up his mind,
seized his uncle's old Colts reyolvers
that were hanging, loaded, in the hall.
Thrusting them into the holders and
buckling the belt round his waist, he
ran out to the shed, and, Inickly mount
ing the pillar, was soon on top of the
slippery shingles, regardless of the
number OF persons, summoned by the
servants, who were at a safe distance in
the crowd outside of the fence.
On his hands and knees he cautiously
crept to the window, when he suddenly
saw Cars huge face rear itself against
the window frame in front of him.
With a beating heart, but a steady
aim, he let loose a bullet right in his
eye, and in the midst of IL roar the ami
NAL fell over dead. Then, creeping
close to the window, he fired several
shots at hhedive, and had the satisfac-
ton of seeing him bite the dust in a
figurative way.
loud hurrah, as they saw what was
left of the sash raised, and Tom leap
nimbly into the room.
With a heart beating almost to suffo-
cation, he flew through the passageway
leading to the lions den, and, throwing
open the door, almost fell into Eyas
arms.
My dear GIRL" said Tom, giving her
a boyish hug as he said it, 81 am so
glad to find you safe-but poor Uncle
imon-isn't it dreadful"
What is so dreadful about Uncle ST.
mon?" said a CHEEKY voice, approaching
from another part of the room.
ooh, Uncle Simon!" said Tom. Il
made certain that you were gone up
that it was you the dirty beasts were
making NJ bones of, and shaking about
at such a rate"
1T came near being my body, at any
rate" said the the old man, soberly,
for the passage door was uncautiously
left unfastened last night, and at day
light this morning both broke into my
room, and had it not been for my poor
dog they would have made short work
of me. AS it was, Eva, who came run
ming at my cry Of alarm, came neal
being sacrificed. 1t was my poor Lew
ellyn that you heard them growing I'VE
and d%evouring at such a rate this morn
ing"
The old colonel looked %mournfully at
his two pets as they lay with their Jaws
dyed in blood on the floor of the sleep
ing room. Whether the thought of his
reported dead love was the cause of the
heavy sigh that escaped his lips is not
recorded, but, suffice it to say, he made
no expressions of regret or otherwise.
Shortly after there was a wedding at
Castle Dangerous''-as the neighbors
in the beginning sportively termed Col.
Whitney's residence. Is it necessary to
add that the bride was pretty Eva Lou
don and the bridegroom was Thomas
Whitney!
A Monkeys Trick.
philadelphia Call;
An old monkey sat cOZilV asleep in q